The Come Alive Project

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  • Energy Bite 360 – A Reader’s Valued Comment to Last Week’s Post

    Last week, I wrote that there are usually a ton of new gym members at the beginning of the year. They usually sign up for an annual membership, but stop coming to the gym in February or early March. They continue paying with the full intent of returning after “a few weeks off”.

    This year isn’t repeating that normal process. There are very few new sign-ups to the gym I go to. I can’t speak to other clubs, but I would suspect it to be the same. I hope those folks who didn’t join a gym (health club) this year will find the time and take the effort to exercise at home.

    On a similar note, a long time reader of this blog, and gym buddy, suggested I write something for those, like him, who have not returned to the gym and don’t plan on returning soon.  He suggested that others may be interested in how people like him are staying in shape. Here’s his method:

    “I have my wife’s TOTAL GYM to work out on, plus some exercise bands, one set of bar bells, a BOSU and various things I’ve improvised. I also skip up and down my driveway in the mornings before it gets light. I like that because my neighbors can’t see me.”

    I’ve never used the TOTAL GYM, but from what others have told me, it is an excellent piece of equipment for home exercise. Exercise bands are an excellent tool. They are quite inexpensive and available at big box stores like Target or Walmart. Bar bells can be expensive and if you have the other equipment mentioned above, you probably won’t need them. A BOSU (half ball with flat surface to stand on) is great for balance but there are other methods without going to the expense of the BOSU. They are an excellent tool but are not inexpensive.

    As for skipping up and down the driveway, don’t laugh. Skipping is an excellent exercise. I think it can be better than running or walking. One of the top of the line Boot Camp style fitness programs in the area has their men and women skipping down major roads at 7:00 in the morning as part of their very intense adult exercise program. It provides balance, raises your heart rate, heavy breathing and all the benefits of fast walking. If skipping is not your “thing”, then go for walking, particularly if you are older and your knees are starting to get a bit wobbly.

    Another good home exercise tool is the “As seen on TV” Ab Roller. Remember that? It provides a great abdominal muscle workout, but if you are just starting out, simple “plank” exercises are probably better to begin with.

    So, if you are a gym member who plans to stay at home a little bit longer, or a novice with resolutions but wants to wait to sign up for a gym membership, or maybe someone who just wants to exercise at home, there are a lot of things you can do. I’ve covered one person’s response here.

    That same reader added: “I bet many of your fans have come up with some very innovative ways of keeping in shape all through this pandemic.”  I would be interested in hearing some of them. I don’t have a comments section but you can email your thoughts to me anytime at bob@thecomealiveproject.com.

    Get healthy, fit, and full of energy in 2021. Make it a good year. Move your body, eat well, and enjoy life. Thank you for reading.

  • Energy Bite 359 – No Lecture, Just a Message

    2020 is ending, thank goodness, and 2021 is beginning. The gyms are excited and ready for all the newbies to the exercise scene. Every year a new crop signs up in January with steely eyes, set jaw, and focused intent on getting fit, losing fat, and getting healthy. The gyms love it because historically, they get a bunch of new members in January. By March, the attendance slows down, and the money keeps rolling in. Don’t blame it on the gyms, it’s not their fault. They just cash in on human nature.

    This year may be a little different because of COVID. There may be a bit of fear in joining a gym with a large membership where you could be exposed to the virus. But there will still be a lot of well intentioned new memberships in spite of the virus.

    Most gyms are well disinfected. The gym I go to purchased a huge air filtering and sanitizing system that purportedly keeps the large facility in a constant state of cleanliness — some sort of spray and filtering system that is distributed throughout the gym, continually sanitizing it in its entirety.

    Staff takes my temperature at the door and I make sure I have my mask on when I enter and leave. They limit attendees to a percentage of maximum capacity. My wife takes classes there and her classes are severely limited to a small percentage of the normal attendance.

    I feel very comfortable at the gym and am not hesitant to use any of the equipment. I have noticed that nearly all the people who are using the facilities, comply with all the gym requirements of wearing masks when not on the exercise floor and wiping down the equipment with disinfectant after each use. There are excellent safety procedures in place and nearly everyone goes along with them without overt complaint.

    So, if you want to lose fat and get in shape, don’t let COVID deter you. Of course you will make it a consideration, but note that most gyms are safe.

    Of course, much of the “losing fat” part should take place at home, in the  kitchen and at the dining room table. You have complete control of that aspect of your personal fitness. I won’t promote a particular diet — there are too many out there and I am not a nutritionist, even though I had a Sports Nutrition Designation with the National Academy of Sports Medicine. My main suggestion is to stop eating all that sugar you ate during the holidays. I gained 6 pounds which I can attribute nearly all of to excess sugar. I’ve already stopped eating the Christmas candy.

    In short, the New Year is a great time to start a health and fitness campaign. Don’t be afraid to go to the gym. Join one if you are not a member now BUT don’t give up in February. And remember, you don’t have to join a gym. You can always exercise at home. I just think that gyms provide a bit more of a motivational atmosphere that keeps you focused on exercising.

    Some insurance programs will pay for “Silver Sneakers” programs and some of the major gyms provide it — free membership if your insurance provides for it.

    So, while that’s not a lecture, it’s a message of hope that you will start or continue to exercise and eat right. You already know that. Yes, there are external challenges this year, but don’t let fear of the unknown stop you. If you don’t exercise regularly now, start a program and stick with it.

    With exercise and good nutrition, you’ll look better, feel better, and have a chance at an awesome life. Remember, You are your own Fountain of Youth. It’s up to you to reach inside you and turn on the Flow — the Flow of Life.

    Happy New Year to all. Have an awesome 2021 and beyond.

    Thank you for reading.

  • Energy Bite 358 – Snow Time, Slipping and Tripping

    It’s snow time again. Here in the Washington, DC suburbs, we are expecting either a major storm, a minor storm or nothing at all for tomorrow. We have assorted predictions from lots of accumulated snow to virtually none at all. That brings up the ugly specter of slipping and sliding in the snow or on ice, no matter where you are located if you get snow. Hey, you can slip in the mud, too, if you live in the tropics. So here’s my annual review of “slipping and tripping”.

    If you are entering your 60s, you’ve probably fallen or almost fallen numerous times throughout your life.  But when you get older, falling can be dangerous.  Bones weaken and become more brittle with age so, a fall can easily mean a broken hip, arm or leg.

    Falls also hurt.  We don’t usually have the luxury of deciding where and when we will fall.  Floors are hard.  So is ice.  So are sidewalks.  So is dirt on a hot, dry day.  For the purpose of this article, the kind of falls I am talking about generally are from a standing, walking or running position to the floor or ground, not a fall from a two story building.

    There are two major forces involved in falling:  Gravity and momentum.  Gravity is the force that creates the downward pull to the ground.  Momentum is the speed times mass with which you fall. Together they dictate how hard you will hit the ground, as well as the angle and direction you will be going when you hit.

    Typically, there are two major causes of falling:  Slipping or Tripping.  Slipping usually occurs when you fall on a patch of ice or a wet floor.  Your feet usually go out from under you and your direction of fall is usually straight down, landing on your hip or back. 

    Tripping, on the other hand, usually happens when you don’t pick up your feet and trip over a loose light cord, the edge of a carpet or rug, or a tree root if you’re outside. The direction of your “tripping” fall is usually forward.  In both cases, the impact force is usually determined by the rate of movement in one direction (forward or sideways), combined with the rate of movement downward as a result of gravity.

    There are two ways to stop or recover from a fall.  First is to stop the fall before it really gets going.  The second is to take one of several possible actions to lessen the impact of the fall.

    1. Stop the fall before it really gets going.
      • Bend your legs fast to lower your center of gravity and reduce the distance to the ground.
      • Use the strength in your legs and your core combined to slow or stop the downward momentum.
    2. Lessen the impact:
      • Lower your center of gravity as in number one above
      • Tuck and roll.  If you trip while moving forward fast, you may not have time for this.  This method saved me from serious injury when I tripped after catching a football from my eldest grandson while running at full speed (not all that fast, I must admit), thirteen years ago at age 67.
      • Change the direction of movement by twisting, spiraling or rolling sideways.
      • “Breakfall” using your forearm, or your forearm and upper arm combined to hit first and dissipate some of the impact.  Of course you can bruise or more seriously injure your arm doing this, so it might be the lesser of two evils. Please don’t use your wrists to break a fall. That’s a broken wrist in the making.

    You must have developed the qualities of strength and agility to really be able to recover from a fall.  Generally leg strength is most important.  You can develop leg strength through movements you do every day as part of your daily life.   Walking.  Getting up and down from a chair (or other forms of squat).  The more strength you have, the easier it is to stay up.

    Your abdominal and other core strength is also critical during a fall.  The first reaction to the beginning of a fall is a natural “bracing” of your abdominal muscles.  The stronger the “bracing action”, the easier it is to stop or control the fall.

    Falls are dangerous to seniors. They are the number one reason overall for seniors visiting emergency rooms. Two years ago, I had a bad fall on the ice, landing on my hip, and resulting in a huge bruise but no break. My last DEXA (bone scan) showed a residual hairline crack in the hip bone where I had fallen. I was very lucky.

    So, for those of us in the “snow belt”, please be careful. For those of you in a more temperate climate, don’t forget to “pick up your feet” like your mother told you, so you don’t trip.

    Thank you for reading.